Nonset stop for phonographs



w. o. MEISSNER. NONSET STOP FOR PHONOGHAPHS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28,192).

Patented June 13, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. 0. M'EISSNER.

NoNsET sToP FOR PHoNoGRAPHs.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1921.

1,419,164. mmm@ 13, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fam/2752' tilttiil STATS,

WILLIAM: O. MEISSNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO STERLINGDEVICES COIVIIANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

NONSET STOP FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patentd Jun@ 13, 1922.

Application filed February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,411.-

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. htlnrsa NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State oitIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in NonsetStops for Phonographs,` of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to phonographs and comprises a stop for terminatingthevtravel of the record when the stylus reaches the end of the soundgroove.

The main objectA of my invention is to stop the travel of the table bythe cessation of stylus travel across the record and independently ofthe distance actually traveled thereby.

Another object ot my invention is to secure automatic operation of thestop mechanism without special attention when a record is started.

As I attain the main object mentioned by means of a mechanism which isactuated by the transverse movement of the tone arm, and as suchmovement results 'from the feeding ot the stylus by the spiral soundgroove, which is very delicate, an additional object or' my invention isto provide mechanism which oli'ers minimum resistance to the movement otthe tonearm.

An additional object ot my invention is to combine my automatic stopmechanism withA the manually controlledy stop `usually provided adjacentthe record turn table so that the former functions through the latterand only one stop need be released when the phonograph is to beoperated.

.Tn the accompanying drawings which il.- lustrate a preferred embodimentof my in' vention- Fig. 1 isa top view of my device assembledy with thetone arm ot' a phonograph, and showing a part oit the phonograph mon torand' turn table with a record on thel latter.

Fig 2 is a front elevationy of my device attached to the tone arm.`

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view ot my device showing its main operating.parts in a different position from that indicatedl in Fig. 1, and f Fig.4c is a view and section taken on line 4.-4 of Fig. 3.

In these' drawings the phonograph. motor is indicated at 2, the motorboard at 1, the turn table at 3, and the tone arm at twith its basemounted onboard 1. The tone arm is equipped with a reproducer 6, havingthe stylus 7. The above mentioned parts are ot usual construction andoperate in. the usual manner. the stylus 7 and tone arm move from rightto left across the record.

My stopping mechanism consists, briefly, in a spring operated brake shoe8, tending to engage the edge of the record table, but held indisengaged position, during playing ot' the record, by a catch adaptedto be released by a device which will function when the tone arm ceasesto move from right to left. The energy which operates this mechanism isprovided by the movementv of the tone arm and is stored during suchmovement and is released when the movement ceases.y

The brake head is provided with/a rearwardly extending bar 9 the lowerportion of which has a downwardly extending pin 10. A. horizontal plate11 is pivotally mounted on motor board 1 by means of a flat spring 12,which tends to raise the tree end of' plate 11. The latter end of theplate is provided with a separate piecek 10LL having an opening 13adapted to receive and' retain pin 10 when the latter is moved withl bar9 andy brake 8 tothe inoperative position of the brake indicated inFigs. 1 and 2.

Adjacentbrake S is a vertical shaft 14 which pivot'a-lly supports ahorizontal arm 15, the outer end' ot which forms a sleeve 16 for acylindricalv weight 17 having a sliding fit in the sleeve. A spring 18has one end secured to the side of lever 15, eX- tends therefrom towardshaft 14 andis there bent to eXtend outwardly past and adjacent pin 17but tending to move away l-rom the latter. Frictional 'contact of thefree end of spring 18 with weight 17 will hold the latter in suspendedposition in sleeve 16. This contact is provided by pres sure appliedthrough a pin 19 onfone end ot a rod 20, the other end of which ispivoted on a bracket 21 mounted on. tone arm 4..

Pin 19 entends through a hole in arm 15 which is large enough to permitsome relative movement between arm 15. and rod. 20.

The tendency of spring 18,.when com- As the recordy is played,v

pressed, isto move arm 15 to thefleft. and y thus free Weight 17 fromits trictional engagement but this tendency is resisted by the rictionalcontact between arm 15 and a collar 22 secured toshait 1s. Thisfrictional contact is privided by a coil spring 3, the pressure of whichmay be accurately controlled by a nut 24k screwed on the upper threadedportion oi shatt 14tand having a locking device here shoivn as a screw25. While shaft 141; may be trictionally driven by arm 15 to rotate in aclock-Wise direction, the speed oi' its rotation is limited by a trainof gears 26 terminating in an escapement device 27. `The speed of theshaft permitted by this mechanism is less than that which would becaused by the tone arm induced movement ott arm 15 if the latter werepinned to shaft 11i.` rlhus pin 19 is always pressing spring 18 againstWeight 17 during the movement of the tone arm.

When the tone arm ceases to move from right to left the energy stored inspring 18 continues to niove arm 15 to the left until pin 19 engages theouter edge ot the hole in arm 15. But as soon as this movement starts,spring 1S will be moved away from Weight 17 andthe latter will drop ontoplate 11 forcing the plate downwardly and disengaging pin 10,permittingthe brake spring 9a to set the brake and stop the recordtable. An inclined plate 28 is mounted on the mechanism base plate inthepath ot travel ot sleeve 1G and Weight 17. 'lfilhen the tone arm ismoved from lett to right Weight 17 rides up inclined plate 28 andremains on the upper portion thereof` during the initial playingmovement of the tone arm during Which time it is trictionally engaged,by

spring 18 and consequently held in raised position after movement of thetone arm carries arm 15 and Weight 17 beyond the upper portion ofinclined plate 28. lfilhen brake shoe 8` is retracted by manual movementof nger 29 on the brake head, hole 13 automatically catches pin 10. ltis theretore apparent that my stop will function Without any attentionas thevarious parts assume their necessary positions automatically Whena person performs the customary actions required for playing a record.

When my invention is properly made, the resistance of spring 18 is verysmall and the friction between arm 15 and collar ez;- ceeds theresistance ot spring 18 very slightly. The connection of bar 20 to tonearm Zlinear the base of the latter affords the record grooves aconsiderable leverage in feeding the stylus and tone arm across therecord and in practice, the resistance to the tone arm movement isscarcely perceptible.

The mechanism illust-rated Will be provided ivith a suitable housing and`it my invention forms part of the standard equipment cfa machine, itshousing may form an integral part'of the tone arm base. The

particular form of housing, however, forms no part oit my invention andis not shown or claimed. y

It is a growing practice to operate phonographs by electricity and it isobvious that in installing my invention on a phonograph so operated, themovement of arm 9 may serve to open and close a switch instead ot movinga brake shoe to and from a moving element. y

l am aware that changes in the form and construction of parts anddetails of construction maybe made Without departing from the inventionor sacrificing the advantages thereof and l reserve the right to malteall such changes and modilications as fairly fall Within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of the tone arm and motor brake of a phonograph, withspring mechanism adapted to receive and store energy from the movementoi' the tone arm While a record is being played and to expend the storedenergy, upon the cessation of tone arm movement, to set' the motorbrake.

2. The combination of the tone arm and motor of a phonograph with anenergy storing device comprising a compressible spring, means wherebythe tone arm, while moving, stores energy in said device and preventsrelease oi' such stored energy, and mechanism operable by release ofsuch stored energy to stop the operation of the motor.

.3. ln a phonograph, a record turn table, a brake therefor, an elementfor applying said brake to said table, a device for holding said braketo said table, a device for holding Said element inoperative, a tonearm, and mechanisml energized by movement ot said tone arm to function,after movement oi? said tone arm ceases, to release said element fromsaid device. l

l1. The combination of the tone arm and turn table of a phonograph, with`an energy storing device operated by movement of the tone arm, a turntable brake, an elementholding said bralre inoperative and meansactuated by the energy stored in said device for releasing said brakefrom said element.

5. The combination ci the tone arm and turn table of a phonograph, withan energy storing device operated by movement of the tone arm, a turntable brake, an element holding said brake inoperative and meansactuated by the energy stored in said device for releasing said brakevfrom said element upon cessation of the tone arm movement.

6. The combination of the tone arm and turn table of a phonograph, withan energy storing device operated by movement of the tone arm, a turntable brake, an element holding said brake inoperative and meansoperable by saidV device Yfor releasingsaid brake from said element.

7. 1n a phonograph stop, a turnY table brake, an element holding saidbrake inoperative, a pivoted arm, an energy storing device on said arm,mechanism operable by energy stored in said device to move said arm,mechanism actuated by suchmovement of said arm to release said brakefrom said element, and means whereby energy is stored in said arm bymovement oi' a phonograph tone arm.

8. A phonograph non-set stop comprising a brake adapted to stop a recordturn table, a catch adapted to render said brake inoperative, a weight,a member, movable by a tone arm and adapted to suspend said weight abovesaid catch while being so moved and to drop said weight upon said catchto release said brake from said catch when otherwise moved, and meansfor moving said member independently oi a tone arm.

9. A phonographnon-set stop comprising a brake adapted to stop a recordturn table, a. catch adapted to render said brake inoperative, a weight,a member movable by a tone arm and adapted to suspend'lsaid weight abovesaid catch while being so moved and to drop said weight upon said catchto release said brake lrom said catch when otherwise moved, and meansenergized by movement ot' a tone arm.

IO. The combination with a phonograph turn table and a tone arm, of aturn table brake, a catch preventing application of said brake, anelement adapted to release said brake from said catch, a member adapted,when moved by the tone arm, to render said element inoperative but notso adapted when moved otherwise, a connection for moving `said member bysaid tone arm, and other means for moving said member.

.11. In a phonograph stop, a second turn table brake, a brakerestraining element, a compressible spring, a device whereby thephonograph tone arm may compress said spring, a member, adapted torelease said brake from said element, held in inoperative position bysaid spring when the latter is compressed, and means providing for theexpansion of said spring when playing travel of the phonograph tone armceases.

l2. In a phonograph stop, a second turn table brake, a brake restrainingelement, a compressible spring, means whereby a tone arm during itsplaving travel may compress said spring, a weight held in suspendedposition by said spring when the latter is compressed, means adapted topermit expansion of said spring when playing travel of the tone armceases, said weight, when released from said spring, being adapted torender said elementy inoperative.

13. In a phonograph stop, a turn table brake, a brake restrainingelement, a pivoted lever, means carried by said lever adapted to releasesaid brake from said element, a spring carried by said lever which, whencompressed, holds said means inoperative and tends to move said leverupon its pivot, a member adapted to be moved by a tone arm t0 compresssaid spring, and mechanism operated by the movement of said lever tostore energy which continues the movement of said lever after movementthereof by said member ceases and thereby releases said means from saidspring.

14:. In a phonograph non-set stop, in combination with the pivoted tonearm of a phonograph, ,a member pivoted similarly to the pivoting of thetone arm, a connection between said member and thetone arm so thatmovement of the tone arm moves said member, a weight mounted to slidevertically on said member, an inclined track adapted to raise saidweight when said tone arm moves said member in one direction, an elementon said member adapted to hold said weight in raised position while saidtone arm is moving said member in the opposite direction and to releaseksaid weight when said tone arm ceases t0 function, and means actuated byrelease of said weight for stopping the phonograph.

WILLIAM O. MEISSNER.

